About Anita

Anita Telle has a mission: To teach acceptance and love to children ages 4 – 9 so they will grow up to be amazing, supportive and loving teenagers, immune to peer pressure and bullying.

Anita Telle also has a story to tell. And it’s an important story; one that touches everyone, everywhere, from every culture. But it is especially important for children:

Being different IS normal. We are all different, in different ways.

Her recent book “The Ultimate Anti-Bullying Solutions Guide: The Sure fire way to STOP Bullying NOW!” crystallizes her mission and her story into a handbook for people who want to be part of the solution.

Anita firmly holds onto the belief that children best gain inspiration and encouragement through reading, particularly if the material read by the children, or being read to the kids, is fun, entertaining, educational and based on real life experiences and issues, vastly impacting and aiding their personal growth.

She grew up in Norway, where storytelling is part of her culture. Drawing on that heritage, Anita started writing books for children with engaging stories containing messages of love and acceptance.

She personally goes to classrooms, reading her books aloud and connecting with children, parents, and educators, listening to their stories and teaching them self-acceptance and acceptance for others.

Inspired by her interactions with these children, their parents and teachers, and the experiences of her own child Branden, Anita wrote “The Ultimate Anti-Bullying Solutions Guide: The Sure fire way to STOP Bullying NOW!” released August 2014.

More than a handbook, this book tells its own story of how most children are inundated with stereotyping messages instilling a ‘FEAR of DIFFERENT’. She believes that the pursuit of perfection breeds intolerance, stimulating bullying behavior. Bullying peaks at a time in a child’s life when they are transitioning from child to adult, and they will model the behavior of the adults around them. If intolerance is the norm, and diversity is not supported at home, children will act out those beliefs on their peers.

Filled with startling statistics, personal stories from her life and her child’s, and stories from children and adults who have either been bullied or been a bully, Anita has written a guidebook that offers hope as much as it provides specific steps parents can implement to help identify a potential bully as young as kindergarten, and, by 3rd grade, instill the tools they need to be prepared for middle school and beyond.

More importantly, Anita gently coaches parents, helping them understand the critical role they play in their child’s emotional and social development. She shares the keys to stopping bullying behavior, and helps a child develop healthy self-esteem, while learning the difference between being aggressive and being assertive.

“I truly believe that the day we embrace different as perfect is the day we can celebrate the end of bullying” says Anita Telle.

Anita has always been very fascinated with different cultures, and loved to learn and read about other countries. At one time she had over 90 pen-pals from all over the world, educating her in their ways of living and their culture. These connections to others cultures helped her better understand those different from herself.

Whether you are an emigrant to this country or you are “born and raised” here, she believes there are things you can do to have a wonderful relationship with people of different cultures, and ways you can encourage your child to have a fun and educational experience with no fear or feeling like they do not belong.

Research has shown that the fear of something or someone ‘different’ is at the core of bullying behaviors.

She clarifies information about bullying and offers positive solutions parents can adopt with their child:

Why is gender stereotyping so accepted, and what can you as a parent do to encourage your children to follow their dream and passion no matter what gender “normally” has that job.

7 ways to help your child handle bullies.

Help your child find their ultimate bully shield.

Understanding how your own self-image reflects on how your child sees him/herself.

Steps to take when there is no other way than getting the authorities involved.

Throughout the book, she emphasizes empathy and concern, a collaborative approach that doesn’t attack or level accusations. What is important is ensuring the needs of all children are being met, including the bully who may be suffering from their own emotional needs and issues and who uses dominance or aggression to distract from those needs. Whatever is lacking in the bully can be identified, support offered, and steps can be taken toward resolution. Everyone wins, in her approach. Parents and educators work together to arrest the bullying behavior and ensure the safety of all children.

Anita is no stranger to being an advocate in her community. In addition to personally reading her books and sharing her message with more than 1000 children, she is a co-founder of Santa Cruz Children’s Charities (SCCC), an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children locally and globally.

In 2006, SCCC raised over $43,000 for Operation Smile, an organization working with children with facial deformities, making it possible for more than 200 children to get surgery and change their lives forever. Anita is also the founder of Gnomy’s Boo Boo Bears, a soft-sculpted bear suitable for both hot and cold therapy. Anita donates 20% of all proceeds from the sale of Boo Boo Bears to Operation Smile, an organization that provides free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the globe.

Taking her message beyond her ability to visit one classroom at a time, Anita has embarked on the next level of her mission. She is recruiting volunteers who share a passion for her Anti-Bullying message and who also want to take it directly to the children. She provides a copy of her book, a script to use in the classroom, and a ‘Bully shield’ coloring page for the children to enter a give-away contest. She has taken her one-on-one approach with children and is spreading it in a typical grass-roots fashion. “Grass root movement…even if I’m only one person, I can make a change”, she concludes.

Praise for The Ultimate Anti-Bullying Solutions Guide: The Sure Fire Way to STOP Bullying NOW!

Anita’s dedication to wanting to makes a change in the world is obvious in her book the Ultimate Anti-Bullying Solutions Guide. Here you will find practical and wise suggestions for yourself and your child, including sample letters you can use to contact everyone from your child’s principal to your state senator. This is a must read for any parent.
– Al Bargen. Author, entrepreneur, parent

This book is a must-read for anyone who has been or knows someone who has been bullied. Anita provides commonsense solutions and the inspiration to take step on and step one hundred.
– Marilyn Angelena. Author, business consultant and life coach.

Praise for Anita’s Children’s Books:

Always Time for Kindness

I love the little characters and the wonderful message told through the story. At a time when people are so rushed that they do not always think of others, this is a great reminder that it does not take much time or effort to make someone feel special. This is a perfect book to read to your child and to give to your child’s classroom. – Mrs. Freer, Teacher

It’s a delightful story about learning to listen to your inner-self, and care about others. I loved the book and recommend it highly. – Mrs. Kloepfer, Teacher

A Little Different Always Perfect

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book for children that teaches about acceptance and anti-bullying. This is a perfect book to read to your child and to give to your child’s classroom. Awesome message at a time where we ALL need to hear it! – Valerie

I loved this book, I liked the whole thing, I learned not to be mean to people and tease. – Jacob (8 years old) California

Anita’s BIO:

Anita grew up in an idyllic suburb of Bergen Norway where she was very competitive in sports during high school and won several medals. After high school Anita studied business and worked for Statoil and NPC in Norway.

She also started modeling, and her desire to travel “took a hold of her,” so she decided to travel to the USA to become fluent in English and further her modeling career. Anita was very lucky to be introduced to a wonderful model (Karen Lott) who was a role model and a teacher for Anita, always encouraging her to believe in herself.

Together with 3 partners, Anita started Salon Technology, a distribution company in the beauty industry. Anita was part of growing this company to a $20M company, with 110 employees and 10 stores.

After selling Salon Technology in 2003, Anita retired and became mom to a beautiful little boy named Branden. Going from full time corporate executive (COO) to full time MOM, Anita got the experience of a lifetime! Anita is one of the co-founders of Santa Cruz Children’s Charities (SCCC), dedicated to improving the lives of children locally and globally.

Spearheading, and, with the help of a few friends, personally funding a program to gift needy children shoes at Christmas from 2003 through 2007, Anita brought the idea to SCCC, who now supports this effort, annually donating more than $3000 to buy shoes for CASA children.

As a very involved mom, Anita realized just how much she loves children and created the first ever “feel good” Gnomy’s Boo-Boo Bears for children with a unique story for each Boo-Boo-Bear. The Boo-Boo-Bears are created by “Gnomy” a good-hearted, mystical little creature living under a magical Redwood tree. This soft sculpted bear is used as a soothing hot or cold compress, and she donates 20% of the profit from the sale of the bears to Operation Smile.

Anita is furthering her love for children and is now focusing on anti-bullying because her son Branden was born with a cleft pallet/lip and was bullied for being different. As a mom, she asked herself what she could do to make a change in her son’s life. Anita decided to start writing children’s books with a “message of acceptance”.

In 2009, Ms. Telle founded Asti Life, a company that develops and distributes natural skincare products known as: “miracle in a bottle” products for skin disorders. In 2012, Anita earned an Entrepreneur Award from the JT Foxx organization.

Anita lives in California with her son Branden. Publications include:

The Ultimate Anti-Bullying Solutions Guide: The Sure Fire Way to Stop Bullying Now! (Aug 2014)Old But Not Expired (Nov 2013)Always Time for Kindness (Jan 2013) Honorary Mention Paris Book FestivalA Little Different All Perfect (April 2012) Winner 2013 San Francisco book festival; Silver award at “Mom’s Choice Awards” – Children’s picture book/ value & Life Lessons; honorable mention at the London Book Festival, and honorable mention at the Purple Dragonfly book festival.

Anita’s mission is to make a difference in the life of children by going to schools and reading her anti bullying message to children age 4-9.